Ahh ... the forum is back online again. That's good news.
As it worked out ... a 4" pipe cutter was just the right size for the compressors coming out of the window AC's. I got a used one off
ebay and did a trial run. It worked okay. I tapped on the side of the compressor with a ballpeen hammer. You can tell where the stator is by the solid or hollow sound. Made a mark where the top of the stator was and cut there. Made a mark where the bottom was and cut there. The stator lifted right out and i stripped it for the copper like i would any electric motor.
It was a pretty smooth process. No oily mess. No grinder dust. No smoke from a torch. No more sawzall blades to buy.
There was one unexpected thing. I think there are a couple of decent chunks of brass built into the shaft that runs up through the middle. I guess you would call that shaft part the rotor.
I think i'll have to do a few more compressors the next time they become available. Maybe the brass parts were just a one off and not what you would normally find when you tear open a sealed unit.
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